Castle of Kisnána

The Castle of Kisnána, one of the attractions of the Mátra region in Heves County, Gyöngyösi district, stands next to Kisnána. It is one of the most beautiful late medieval monuments of Hungarian noble residences.

History

Its construction is dated to the 11th–12th centuries; no document mentions the exact time, but the Csobánka family of the Aba clan (according to other sources) is credited as the builder.

The first known owner is Pál Csobánka, however after the extinction of the Árpád dynasty (1301) he turned against Charles Robert (the party of Máté Csák), so the later king took the area from him and donated it to Peter Kompolti of the same kindred. Upon his death, Gergely's son inherited the entire estate, who changed his name from Nána to Domoszlay. The family names changed from father to son, so when Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1415 gave it to László, son of Mihály Domoszlay, the deed recorded Kompolti László. Thus the family's ownership of the castle was confirmed. Through a mutual inheritance contract it passed into the possession of the Guthy Országh family. In 1543, however, István Losonczy was still its official owner; before the death of László Országh he bequeathed it to his relative Móré László. Móré provoked the Turks with minor raids, killed merchants, plundered and robbed, therefore the Turks occupied the castle.

After 1560 the castle was no longer rebuilt. After the Turkish rule it passed through several owners, who, however, did not live there, so the local population used it as building material. Around 1940 the residents of the village of Nána created a training ground in it and uncovered the interior of the Gothic castle chapel.

In the mid‑20th century some preservation work was carried out on it, but only in the 2010s was a complete renovation undertaken. During this the walls were reinforced, exhibition rooms were created in the Old Tower, and a tower terrace with a unique panorama was established on its top.

A peasant house was built in the foot of the castle between 1880 and 1890, which was restored in 1971. The folk house, with its furnishings, presents the contemporary peasant life.

The legend of Móré

According to the accounts of the inhabitants of Kisnána, László Móré buried a great amount of his robbed property, treasure, and jewelry in the area of the castle before its destruction by the Turks. Its factual basis, however, is unknown, as the unequivocal evidence (the treasure itself) has not been uncovered to this day, thus it remains among the sayings of the peoples, the Hungarian people.